


Happy Birthday

by RaychDZeros



Category: MapleStory
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 14:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8493907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaychDZeros/pseuds/RaychDZeros
Summary: It’s Tear’s birthday and she’s ready to celebrate it alone as she had the year before. After all, she’s been alone ever since the Relic Incident. Then a surprise guest (along with surprise gifts) turn up and things get better.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a collab on tumblr, I'll like to thank my partner for coming through at the last minute with brilliant artwork! ;D

                                                                              

It was yet another dreary day.

 

In the week that was supposed to lead up to the happiest day of her life every year, Tear just felt utterly exhausted. Yet another battle won against Magnus’ troops, but as always, everyone just looked towards Kyle and proclaimed him for being a hero that had saved the soldiers from Pantheon.

 

It was so unfair. She had been the first to reach, tried her best to defend as many soldiers as she could, but nobody had even bothered to help her till Kyle came in his Kaiser form and swept away the enemy troops with his giant sword.

 

And at the end of the day, she was the one being dismissed and mocked. No one came to defend her. She was treated like a little girl.

 

_ Her heart was slowly breaking apart and there was nothing she could do to stop it. _

 

On the night before her actual birthday, Tear finally headed for the Heliseum Hideout, no longer in her ‘Angelic Buster’ outfit. She was now ordinary Tear, no magic, no fancy costumes, just only her simple and plain attire of a black long-sleeved shirt with a green shirt on top and a pair of black leggings. Her orange hair was short once more, left unbound while a single drawstring bag thumped against her back as she walked to the hideout. Eskalade was, thankfully enough, quiet for once, fast asleep in her bracelet.

 

She wasn’t expecting much. After all, ever since the whole mess with those Corrupted Priests where she made the contract with Eskalade, Kyle became Kaiser and Velderoth left them to join Magnus, she had been alone.

 

That first year after they left, she had returned to the hideout on her birthday in hopes of seeing them again. She had waited an entire day, not daring to move elsewhere for fear of missing their arrival, but no one had arrived.

 

_ She had never felt so alone, heart aching as she wondered why they had not come. _

The subsequent year was the same, her fragile hopes shrinking once more. ‘Would it be the same for this year then?’, she mused silently as she scanned her empty surroundings blankly.

 

_ Nobody was around. _

 

She was alone in this silent hideout.

 

With a sigh, she gently put down her bag, opening it to take out a box. With a faint smile, she opened the box to reveal a slightly battered chocolate cake. It wasn’t too big, but it was big enough that Tear could have a little before saving the rest as leftovers. She rummaged in her bag again, this time taking out a smaller bag. That bag was opened and the contents dumped into her hand.

 

They were candles.

 

She carefully placed the candles in the cake, lighting them up with some matches. Opening her mouth, she prepared to sing.

 

_ Crash, thud, growl! _

 

** Eh? **

  
All thoughts of a birthday song disappeared as Tear went on the alert. The sudden noises had startled her but she didn’t dare transform into her ‘Buster’ form yet. Best was to wait for what was coming before activating her powers.

 

Then came a rustle from the bushes.

 

Tear tensed up, her mind racing with the possibilities. Was it another monster? Or had she been tailed to her sanctuary?

 

_ “Damn it Stumpy! Get out of my way!” _

 

A grunt from a monster could be heard in reply.

 

_ “Stumpy I swear on the Gods above I will end you if you get in my way again!” _

 

……..

 

A little flower of hope bloomed within her.

 

“Veldie? ” She uttered, her voice oh so soft as she stared at the direction where the voices had come from.

 

** “Is that, is that really you?” **

 

There was a brief silence before the bushes Tear was facing rustled, parting to reveal a familiar green head, golden eyes looking away from her. By his side was a Spectre Hound, albeit a smaller version but with the same perpetual frown. The Hound raced forward at the sight of her, barking madly and making Velderoth curse.

 

“STUMPY NO! GET BACK HERE!” He yelled, running forward to grab at the hound.

 

The hound ignored the order, choosing instead to dash forth and growl menacingly at Tear. It would have made a scary image if not for its tiny size. As it was, Tear merely smiled and crouched down.

 

“Hello!” She greeted cheerfully.

 

The hound’s growls lessened in its confusion, eyes growing wide when Tear reached out to it. In its hasty attempt to back away, it fell on its rump, thus distracted from Tear’s outstretched hand.

 

Grinning, Tear scratched behind its ears.

 

“So, your name is Stumpy then? Fits such a little darling like you!” She cooed.

 

The dumbfounded hound did not move, stock still as Tear lavished praise over it.

 

Velderoth was equally dumbfounded, golden eyes wide and staring at Tear and her interaction with the hound. Then he shook his head wildly, clearing his throat as he did so.

 

“Erm… Tear? I - I - erm -” He stuttered.

 

Tear stood up upon hearing his voice, her joy shuttering into wariness. Her hands clenched into fists by her sides, eyes full of confusion as she bent slightly at the knees, unsure whether to run or just punch her old friend.

 

“Veldie…? You - you’re truly back?”

 

The last time she had tried to talk to him was at the Citadel. His words had been cutting, so full of hatred and vitriol that she had ended up running away in tears.

 

_ But now? To see him back here in their childhood getaway? _

_ Her heart was full of barely suppressed hope. _

 

~~ Perhaps Velderoth was here to stay…? ~~

 

The other nodded in response. “I… realized a few months back that your birthday was approaching. So... I - I - I - IsnuckoutofHeliseumtofindyou.”

 

He took in a deep breath, drawing himself up to his full height and tilting his head with an affectionate smile.

 

“Happy Birthday, Tear.’

 

With tears in her eyes, Tear leapt forward, hugging the male tightly and ignoring the yelp of surprise from him.

 

“I’M SO HAPPY! I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE BACK!”

 

Velderoth fumbled for a while, hands fanning about wildly as he tried to find his balance from the sudden jump/hug. Once he had regained his balance, he slowly wrapped his arms around Tear, a tired smile on his face as he ignored the tears soaking his shirt.

 

They soon found themselves sitting down on the dusty ground a few minutes later, hands interlinked as they sat close, heads leaning against one another. Within their eyesight was the Specter Hound Stumpy, who snuffled around the dusty ground looking for food. Finding none, the hound sat on its rump, staring woefully at the two who laughed at his sad expression.

 

Then their laughter faded, giving way to a silence that slowly turned awkward as both tried to summon the courage to speak. In the end,it was Tear who started the conversation.

 

“Veldie? You - you said you came back for my birthday, right?” She asked hesitantly.

 

Velderoth nodded, a faint blush on his cheeks visible as he replied. “Well, I remembered… That your birthday was today. And that during the whole mess with Kyle becoming Kaiser and me joining Lord Magnus, I realized we forgot your birthday. That's why I'm here today! I - I decided I wanted to celebrate your birthday with you properly!”

 

Then he was standing, hastily rummaging through his clothes while a confused Tear looked on. It took him a few minutes to find what he needed before he was presenting a misshapen and clumsily wrapped lump to Tear with a clear air of nervousness.

 

“Er - Happy birthday.”

 

Tear blinked, startled at the sudden gesture. She slowly took the apparent gift in clear confusion, staring at the heavy item in her hands.

 

_“OOOHHHH, WHAT'S THAT?”_ Eskalade had woken up from his slumber, his curiosity raised at the odd gift in her hands. Tear ignored her partner, choosing instead to carefully unwrap the gift to reveal…

 

_** “YOU GOT ME A STAR ROCK?!” ** _

 

Tear shrieked in her shock, the unwrapped rock dropping into her lap as her hands flew to her mouth. She had heard about the rock of course, overhearing from several Maplers gossiping about how rare the natural was and how expensive it was to get a fairy to make one for them.

 

Velderoth nodded, his blush steadily increasing as Tear stared at him with star-struck eyes.

 

“HOW?!” She exclaimed.

 

“Well… I knew someone who had business in El Nath. I asked him to fulfil my small request and he did so. That’s how I got it. I had to do some stuff for him as payment, but since it was for your birthday, it was worth it,” he explained with a shy grin.

 

_“A Star Rock? From El Nath? And considering how rare this is, this ‘friend’ of his must have hunted it for hours or else paid quite a sum for it to be made.”_ Eskalade commented inside her mind. She ignored the other.

 

Instead, with tears in her eyes, she placed the Rock aside carefully, turning back to Velderoth to hug him tightly.

 

_ “Thank you so much Velderoth. Thank you so much for making my birthday so special.” _

 

The hug lasted for awhile, both of them basking in the other’s presence with happy smiles. Then Tear pulled away, running back to her abandoned cake. Grinning widely, she presented it to Velderoth.

 

“Let's share my cake!”

 

Then she saw a large tongue tentatively stretched out towards her cake.

 

It was Stumpy.

 

He had raised his head upon the whiff of said cake then crept over, apparently hoping to catch a taste of food.

 

Laughing, Tear swiped off a dollop of cream, wiping it on the hound’s outstretched tongue. Said hound wagged his tail eagerly, gulping down the cream before running off. Shaking her head, she turned back to Velderoth who looked at her with a fond expression.

 

“It seems your love for animals will never change,” he murmured. Blushing, Tear nodded before taking out a fire starter.

 

“Shall we light up the candles?” She asked.

 

Velderoth nodded and with that, they began to light up each candle before singing ‘Happy Birthday’.

 

Tear felt like her heart would burst with the endless amount of joy she was having, her broad smile never leaving her face as she sang her heart out. It seemed her joy was mirrored by Velderoth as well, the other grinning back at her when she blew out the candles after the song.

 

“What did you wish for?” He asked curiously.

 

“It's a secret!” She exclaimed, giggling away.

 

_ My wish is that today will never end so that Velderoth and me will be happy forever and ever! _

 

All in all, it felt like the best birthday of her life.

 

#  The End 

_ (Let's have some extras, shall we?) _

 

** Extra 1: Stumpy **

 

“So, why is your Hound named Stumpy?” This unexpected question came from Tear, surprising Velderoth who had just eaten a bite of his cake into choking.

 

Tear panicked, slapping Velderoth vigorously on the back in her attempt to help.

 

It took him awhile, but he managed to swallow his food before he croaked a reply.  

 

“Why do you ask?”

 

“Wellllll… Stumpy is a rather strange name… That's why I wanna know how he got his name!”

 

Velderoth blushed.

 

“We-ll… The fact is… Erm… I just named him that because he had short legs.” At Tear’s look of confusion, he elaborated further.

 

“Stumpy was the runt of his litter and the Spectre Controllers were ready to kill him off so that he wouldn't weaken his pack. I couldn't bear for that to happen, so I… Kinda stole him away. Lord Magnus found out and was ready to throw him away but I begged to keep him… So, Lord Magnus allowed me but asked me to name the hound. So I blurted out the first thing to mind; Stumpy. ‘Cos of his short legs and tail.”

 

Tear looked at her blushing friend, then glanced back at the sleeping hound.

 

She shrugged.

 

“It fits.”

 

** Extra 2: Rue Stone **

 

He watched from the woods as two friends laughed and teased each other. One was a green haired male, gold eyes lighting up frequently as he talked avidly.

 

Next to him was an orange haired girl, her hazel green eyes wide as she clung onto the other's words.

 

He wanted to join the happy scene.

 

Some part of him, the child in him he supposed, craved the easy joy the other two had and wanted to forget all about the recent troubles. He wanted to laugh with them, tease the girl, make awful jokes again.

 

_ But he wouldn't. _

 

He knew if he went in there, the green haired male would lose his smiling face, eyes wary about him. He knew that the girl would end up worrying the day away, unable to keep up the joy as she feared having to choose sides between the two.

 

_ He wouldn't do that to them. He wouldn't be so cruel on such a special day. _

 

So Kyle gave way to a soft sigh, looking down at his hand in which he had clung onto a refined Rue stone from Edelstein.

 

_ He had found the stone after helping out to clean up after the events of Black Heaven. The Resistance leader, Claudine had told him that he could keep it since there wasn't any more power that could be extracted from it. So he had kept it all this while, hoping for a chance to pass it to Tear and make her smile again. _

 

“Then again, it seems Velderoth has done it before I could,” he mused softly. Shaking his head, he turned to leave.

 

“Happy birthday then, Tear. I'll give you your present next time.”

 

** Extra 3: Flower Bouquets **

 

She had been laughing along with Veldie, listening to his awful jokes and funny stories when a bouquet of pink flowers appeared in her lap.

 

Surprised at the sudden appearance of the bouquet, she nearly threw it away.

 

Velderoth tensed up, eyes flinty as he stared at the bouquet with outright suspicion.

 

Then a piece of paper caught her eye and so she ignored Velderoth’s tensing to take the card. On it was a beautifully handwritten message;

 

_ “Wishing you lots of joy on your blessed day, _

_ White Mage” _

 

He had even signed off on it with an elaborate signature of his name!

 

Tear found herself blushing away.

 

Next to her, Velderoth scowled.

 

_“Damn, this mage is one hell of a sweet talker…”_ Eskalade muttered grudgingly.

 

Tear ignored them both, clutching onto the bouquet with a delighted squeal.

 

“He got me flowers!”

 

Then she noticed Velderoth’s grumpy scowl, then smiled softly before leaning towards him and giving the other a gentle peck on the cheek.

 

“I still like your rock best Veldie!” She whispered, ignoring his crimson face as she hugged the flowers to herself.

 

_“How even did that mage know it’s your_ birthday _though…?”_ Eskalade mused softly.

 

** Extra 4: Star Rock **

 

Velderoth found himself pacing before the doors to Lord Magnus’ room, half anxious and half terrified at the thought of speaking to the man whom he privately viewed as his father figure. He wanted to speak to Lord Magnus, to ask the other to fulfill a request of his, but at the same time, felt foolish over what he wanted.

 

_ What to do, what to do, what to do… _

 

** “Stop pacing outside and come in here.” **

 

The rough voice snapped.

 

Gulping, Velderoth nodded to himself before he knocked politely on the door as per decorum and entered Lord Magnus’ room.

 

Lord Magnus was in armor, roaming around his room as he picked up various items and placed them in a bag.

 

“Sir?”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Are you going to Maple World?”

 

At this, the tyrant stopped in his actions, fixing Velderoth with an inscrutable look.

 

“... Yes. Why do you ask?” he replied finally.

 

Velderoth resisted the urge to shuffle his feet, choosing instead to straighten his back, feet apart as he summoned his bravery.

 

“I was wondering if you could get me an item from Maple World. It's called a Star Rock and I believe it’s being hoarded by a few monsters in the cold mountains of El Nath,” Velderoth announced, fighting the urge to fidget when Lord Magnus kept looking at him without saying a word.

 

Then the tyrant spoke. “Why do you want it?”

 

Velderoth gulped. “Well, I read about it in my books about Maple World. And I'm curious to know if the rock truly contains the power of the stars.”

 

He fidgeted more when Lord Magnus fell silent again and was ready to open his mouth to take back his request when the older man spoke.

 

“Fine. I'll get it. But I want to see you improve on your sword skills,” the tyrant replied gruffly.

 

Relieved, Velderoth gave a hasty bow. “Of course my Lord! Thank you my Lord!” Then without waiting to be dismissed, he ran out.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Do leave a comment/kudo?


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